Greetings, FIAT lovers!
Disclaimer : I'll try to provide as much detail as possible so that you who actually can and want to help me can get a clear picture of what the problem is. There will also be a "Too Long; Did not Read" part at the and. Thank you.
I've gotten my hands on a Stilo 2003 1.8. It's great, but I'm sure you already knew that.
Apart from the timing belt needing a change (there was literally NO service book whatsoever, so I bought it purely on what the my hunch told me), as well as the regular oil/filters needing a swap as well, I have a problem with the license plate lightning.
The previous owner had taped them in a bit sloppy fashion, and as I found out that FIAT can present many electrical errors even without exterior influence, I wanted to check what the problem was. After removing the tape, I tried getting a couple of screws and screw them in, hoping that it was all I would have to do. Turns out, the old screws got rusty and their heads broke off, so to say. So they're stuck in their holes (2 of them), one hole is free, but the last one doesn't even EXIST. At first I wondered where it could be, but then I realised that someone had already tried putting a screw in there, then broke off the metal part with the hole, but in such a way that it almost looks like a clean, straight cut.
To make it worse, the left lamp wiring fell out as the black wire (the one that goes on the "-" pole is very short (that's why it got disconnected so easily), and it feels practically impossible to reattach.
Any ideas on what to do with the short wiring, as well as with a missing hole? If I glue it up it might be a problem if one of the bulbs pops at some point in future (which might happen very easily, if I am to believe all the threads about bulb issues). Any constructive ideas are more than welcome.
Today, I just got the airbag failure, stop engine on the panel. Searched through the forum, found that it's those cables under the seat, shook them a few times on each side, and it suddenly stopped. Am a bit afraid of doing it on my own, but I'm sure it'll work out if I follow the instructions, right? Any particular tips on that process?
Also, if I notice the front lights "shaking" a bit in the mornings, as well as the start when I turn the key is slow at beginning - is it time to change the battery, or will it still be okay, considering the summer is coming, and the temperatures won't be as low? (I'm in Sweden, temperatures here are currently around 0 degrees Celsius).
One last question - is the suspension on all Stilos kinda hard? Driving over bumps, it feels like I really have to drop it to almost 10 km/h or less just to pass without feeling it off. It shakes it off immediately, but it feels... no other word to describe it, than hard. Could there be some kind of fault lurking there? It did pass the MOT here in Sweden 10 days ago though.
TL;DR
Got issues with installing num. plate bulbs, the wiring to one of the bulbs is too short, what do ?
Airbag failure, stop enging poped up today, disappeared after shaking the cables under the seats, any tips before I get onto it?
What are the symptoms of a weak/bad battery on a Stilo? (apart from the obvious "it doesn't start")
How should suspension on a Stilo behave? Loose/hard?
Disclaimer : I'll try to provide as much detail as possible so that you who actually can and want to help me can get a clear picture of what the problem is. There will also be a "Too Long; Did not Read" part at the and. Thank you.
I've gotten my hands on a Stilo 2003 1.8. It's great, but I'm sure you already knew that.
Apart from the timing belt needing a change (there was literally NO service book whatsoever, so I bought it purely on what the my hunch told me), as well as the regular oil/filters needing a swap as well, I have a problem with the license plate lightning.
The previous owner had taped them in a bit sloppy fashion, and as I found out that FIAT can present many electrical errors even without exterior influence, I wanted to check what the problem was. After removing the tape, I tried getting a couple of screws and screw them in, hoping that it was all I would have to do. Turns out, the old screws got rusty and their heads broke off, so to say. So they're stuck in their holes (2 of them), one hole is free, but the last one doesn't even EXIST. At first I wondered where it could be, but then I realised that someone had already tried putting a screw in there, then broke off the metal part with the hole, but in such a way that it almost looks like a clean, straight cut.
To make it worse, the left lamp wiring fell out as the black wire (the one that goes on the "-" pole is very short (that's why it got disconnected so easily), and it feels practically impossible to reattach.
Any ideas on what to do with the short wiring, as well as with a missing hole? If I glue it up it might be a problem if one of the bulbs pops at some point in future (which might happen very easily, if I am to believe all the threads about bulb issues). Any constructive ideas are more than welcome.
Today, I just got the airbag failure, stop engine on the panel. Searched through the forum, found that it's those cables under the seat, shook them a few times on each side, and it suddenly stopped. Am a bit afraid of doing it on my own, but I'm sure it'll work out if I follow the instructions, right? Any particular tips on that process?
Also, if I notice the front lights "shaking" a bit in the mornings, as well as the start when I turn the key is slow at beginning - is it time to change the battery, or will it still be okay, considering the summer is coming, and the temperatures won't be as low? (I'm in Sweden, temperatures here are currently around 0 degrees Celsius).
One last question - is the suspension on all Stilos kinda hard? Driving over bumps, it feels like I really have to drop it to almost 10 km/h or less just to pass without feeling it off. It shakes it off immediately, but it feels... no other word to describe it, than hard. Could there be some kind of fault lurking there? It did pass the MOT here in Sweden 10 days ago though.
TL;DR
Got issues with installing num. plate bulbs, the wiring to one of the bulbs is too short, what do ?
Airbag failure, stop enging poped up today, disappeared after shaking the cables under the seats, any tips before I get onto it?
What are the symptoms of a weak/bad battery on a Stilo? (apart from the obvious "it doesn't start")
How should suspension on a Stilo behave? Loose/hard?